


Seven Empty Seats

by fauxpotential



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Femslash, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-08-21 12:17:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16576337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fauxpotential/pseuds/fauxpotential
Summary: Based on the prompt: Kara and Lena meet outside the principal's office and instantly hit it off.High School AUMoody, self-centered Lena meets a girl in need. From then on, Lena is compelled to do everything in her power to make her happy.Never written fanfiction before so I'm testing the waters, please let me know what you think!





	1. Solo

Lena’s eyes are pointed straight at her feet. Absently admiring the shine on her shoes and the clean creases of her pant cuffs. Her satchel is placed forward-facing in her lap and her arms wrap around it loosely. It offers some comfort, at least as much as she’s ever gotten from her parents, maybe even more. At least this thing is room temperature instead of being ice cold.

She just wishes her brother Lex was here right now. He was the only person she ever really connected to on that level, she would consider him a friend. And Lena suspects that he might have cared about her too. Unfortunately, he got himself sent to juvenile hall for trying to rob an electronics store a few weeks ago.

_Idiot. They obviously would have cameras everywhere. She told him to stick to clothing._

While Lena is disappointed that he got himself caught, the worst part by far is that the court decided to send him away, leaving her to fend for herself. All alone to face the principal. Even though her homework and tests grades are perfect, the school counselors have suggested bringing Lena and her parents into the office to have a “disciplinary chat”.

_Whatever that means. Maybe it has something to do with her recent disinterest in classwork and the witty comebacks she’s been dishing to any teacher who points it out. But that’s just a guess._

The lunch bell rings and all Lena wants to do is go back to her spot in the library, eat her packed lunch, and sulk in peace and quiet. But she’s stuck here until her mother shows up, assuming she ever does, so she has resigned herself to an afternoon of avoiding eye contact with anyone but the ground. That is until someone slouches down into the seat next to her. There is a row of eight wooden chairs in front of the principal’s office, Lena’s claimed the one on the end, farthest from the door, but the remaining seven are left open. Seven empty seats! And someone has the audacity to invade her personal space?

She turns to confront the intruder and is caught off guard by a girl with shimmering blue eyes and a face full of tears. Suddenly her anger dissipates into something closer to... sympathy?


	2. She's got issues

Lena couldn't find any words to say in this situation. She'd never been so close to this much raw emotion. It was a bit overwhelming, but she didn't dare get up and leave. Instead, she just bit her tongue and averted her eyes from the slouched form beside her.

The girl noticed her reaction but seemed not to care. She was too busy wiping her eyes and trying to maintain adequate breathing. She was really a mess. After several long seconds of internal debate, Lena finally thought of something she could do. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small package of tissues. At first, she went to remove one, then she decided it would be best to hand the girl the entire pack.

Lena hesitantly held out the offering at the girl’s eye level, which had lowered significantly as the girl melted deeper into the chair. Instantly, those sapphire eyes shot back up to meet Lena’s with a more inquisitive expression. Then, just a hint of a smile.

Lena got an uneasy feeling in her chest. She gestured again with the tissues until the girl finally moved to grab them. She whispered out a faint “thank you” before tearing her eyes away to focus on opening the pack and using the tissues to wipe her face and blow her snotty nose, rather unflatteringly.

When she was cleaned up a bit, she sat up a little straighter and turned to Lena.

“Hi, sorry you had to see that.” She said with a half-smile, somehow still good-natured even after whatever grief she was going through.

“No, no worries…” Lena replies,not knowing where else to take this conversation.

“I’m Kara” The girl supplies. “I would shake your hand but, ya know” She holds up both hands full of wadded up tissues and shrugs her shoulders.

This causes Lena to let out a nervous giggle. _What the hell was that, Luthor?_

“Yes, maybe another time.” She finds herself smiling a bit despite herself.

At that moment, Lena detects a tell-tale sound coming down the hallway. The self-assured gait of high heels somehow rises above the monotone chatter of students — and it’s coming closer. As soon as Lena reaches the only conclusion of whose footsteps those could be, her fears are confirmed as a figure emerges from the hectic mass of bodies trying to make it to homeroom.

“Come on dear, no time to waste,” says Lena’s mother with a snake-like charm.

Lillian Luthor is not one to be defied, especially in public, so Lena rises obediently and follows her mother into the office marked _Principal Grant_. She walks past the seven empty seats before looking back at Kara, apologetically. Kara just smiles at her, waves a tissue at her and mouths an exaggerated “Thank You.”

It gives her enough of a distraction to make it through the meeting. She absentmindedly agrees to all the principal’s conduct rules and promises to participate more in class. But, all the while, she’s daydreaming about those crystal blue eyes and golden hair and half-smiles and little waves.

_Now that Lex is gone, she should try to find at least one friend, right?_


	3. Freshman

Kara timidly raises a hand in her Algebra 2 class.  
“Um, Mr. Jones?”  
The teacher turns from his equation on the board to address her fully.  
“Yes, Kara?”  
She's surprised that he knows her name, this is her first time speaking up in class after all. But there’s no time to dwell, she needs to get out the question before she loses her nerve.  
“Would you, um, be able to explain the first part again? We did it a lot differently on Kr— at my old school, and I feel a bit lost.”  
Mr. Jones looks at her amused. “You are referring to the first step we did over forty-five minutes ago?”  
Kara nods almost imperceptibly, clearly embarrassed.  
“Well, I’d be happy to go back to it once we complete this problem. Feel free to speak out next time as soon as you feel confused.”  
Kara nods again, looking down at her nearly blank paper with a “Problem 1” written on the margin.  
“But for the record,” his continued attention causes her to look up again, “Based on the homework you’ve turned in, you seem to have a deeper understanding of these concepts than even I do, once you put your mind to it.” He gives her a subtle wink.  
It’s supposed to be encouraging but it just makes her curl up into herself, she’s supposed to be fitting in, or at the very least not making a spectacle of herself.

And it does catch some attention. As Mr. Jones turns back to the board she can hear a quiet scoff in the back of the room. Then some hissed whispering about her. If she hadn’t come from Krypton, she probably wouldn’t be able to pick up on any of this, but her super hearing made it impossible to ignore.

The back row is filled with Juniors who are only taking this class so they can stay on their respective sports teams. Mike is the one who laughed at her first, he’s the pitcher for National City High School’s baseball team. Imra, his on-again-off-again girlfriend, is the co-captain of Volleyball. James, basically just follows along with whatever Mike tells him to do; he’s on Men’s Golf. And finally Alex, she was ranked nationally for Varsity Wrestling, and she also happens to be her new sister.

She’s the reason Kara even knows all these guys, Alex brings all her jock friends over to the house to party and drink and leaves her sitting in their shared bedroom trying to learn how to be human on her own. She overhears them talking about teammates and parties and other things that high schoolers do for fun. But she’s never been invited to join them.

In fact, the only time she’s ever gotten any solid conversation from Alex it was at the breakfast table before her first day of school when she asked about the people she could expect to meet.  
/  
Alex looked at her annoyed but conceded to actually answering the question. “Okay look, since you’re already a freak you’re going to want to avoid hanging around with other losers, right? Some top contenders are that dweeby mascot kid, Winn, oh and that sociopath, brainiac Lena Luthor. Also, it’d probably be best for me if we pretend we don’t know each other. You understand.”  
Kara didn’t understand at the time. She was just happy Alex was actually acknowledging her for once. “Oh yeah, thanks Alex!”  
“Whatever” She replied as she picked up her cereal bowl and went to pack her bag for school.  
/

She tried very hard to control herself, but curiosity was overwhelming her will-power. She hears it all.  


“Man, what is that girl trying to prove. That she’s smarter than the rest of us but is just playing at dumb? What a loser.” Mike whispers.  
“I know right? She probably just wants to be the teacher's pet,” adds Imra.  
“Ha, yeah.” James chimes. 

A pause before Alex steps in, “You know what? I bet I could get her to do all of our homework for us. It’s not like she does anything after school anyway.”  
Mike looks at her excitedly, “Dude that’d be sick. I’m pulling straight D’s in my classes right now.”  
“Hah, gay,” teases Alex.  
He punches her on the shoulder “Look who’s talkin,’ butch.”  
“Ew, as if” Alex defends and pushes Mike away.  
Imra breaks up their play fighting, “Come on guys, lay off.” She turns toward Alex, “I’m actually kind of interested in this offer though, how come she’s so smart anyway?”  
Alex barely thinks before replying, “She’s from another planet.” She catches herself, “It’s like she's from another planet. Plus her parents are dead and she has no friend’s so it’s not like she has anything to do other than to jerk off to algebra.”  
They all laugh at Kara’s expense, a little too loudly and Mr. Jones shushes then with a look.

Kara can’t take it anymore and excuses herself to the bathroom.

Alex looks back, a hint of worry in her eye as her sister quickly exits the classroom “I’ll see what I can do.”

\---

Kara rushes through the hall as she feels the hot tears coming to her eyes.  
She’s gathered that being a freshman in high school is hard enough as it is, let alone starting over a life on a completely new planet. She just wished she had some level of support from her so-called sister, but it looks like she’s not able to count on her after all.

She beelines for the bathroom for a place to hide out, but as she comes closer to the door she can see that there is a group of girls in there skipping class and doing their makeup. She quickly changes direction and continues down the hall. It’s mostly empty because there’s still ten or so minutes before lunch starts, but she is overwhelmed by the surrounding sounds of papers rustling and students whispering and teachers booming on and on about whatever subject. She’s starting to panic. She can’t take the cacophony and she just wants to be anywhere but here. She could just shoot through the roof if she wanted to, but that would cause too many questions.  
She turns the corner on the last stretch of hallway and abruptly hones in on a heartbeat. One that is steady and calming. It’s different somehow than the sleepy pulses of bored students, more consistent, more distinct. She is drawn to it.

She finds its source, a seated dark mass is all she can see through blurred eyes and she throws herself next to the owner of the heartbeat, selfishly finding comfort in the rhythm.


	4. Algebros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of buildup but I swear they will actually talk!... eventually.

The next day Lena is feeling oddly optimistic about her life. She had pleasant dreams about working on little inventions with her brother. They weren’t exactly memories, but she feels like they could have been. For what feels like the first time in her life she might actually be content.

She decides to walk to school today instead of going with her driver. She’d rather just live out this feeling a little bit longer before she’s forced into the monotonous reality of high school once again. 

A car waits idly at the front entrance of the superfluous mansion her mother refers to as “the cottage.” Lena can’t just walk out the front door and leave, the driver has an obligation to keep her safe, _that’s the kind of thing that wealthy families have to deal with: kidnapping, ransom, blah blah blah…_ So, to avoid getting caught, Lena decides to sneak over her balcony railing onto the roof and gracefully climb down the ivy-covered ladder leading out to the back garden. _This isn’t the first time she’s done this, sometimes she’s even wearing heels._

She calmly strolls through the perfectly trimmed hedges and even stops to admire colorful bushels of hydrangeas, before continuing past the garden and through the tree-lined perimeter of Luthor property. She comes out to the sidewalk on the other side and starts walking in the direction of the school.

///

Lena eventually makes it to the school in one piece. Whoever is responsible for her protection will figure that out eventually. She might face some consequence later on, but it was well worth it for the peace and quiet. Plus,she’s actually a little early today.

She decides to stop in to see her favorite math professor, Mr. Jones. He actually used to tutor her when she was in grade school.She considers him as sort of a fun uncle, plus he’s the only person she knows that can get her to crack a smile, and she feels like that is exactly what she needs right now.

Lena raps lightly on the cracked door before pushing it open, the teacher has his head down,focused intently on a large piece of paper with haphazard scribbles drawn all over it. When he finally notices Lena’s presence, Mr. Jones shoots up from his desk to greets her with a warm-hearted handshake.

“Miss Luthor! To what to I owe the pleasure?” He inquires enthusiastically.

“Oh nothing special, I just saw the door was at an angle, I figured I’d stop in.” She grins shyly as she fully enters the room and grasps the back of the chair in front of her.

He sits back down. “I see, you must have an _acute_ sense of boredom then.” He laughs heartily.

Against her more sophisticated judgement, she decides to go along with the wordplay, “Oh, don’t be obtuse Jones, I am interested to see whatever you’re plotting in here.”

“Ah, then do you mind if I go on a tangent? I’m actually trying to derive a new poster for the school musical, I’ve volunteered to direct it.”

“Really? There has to be a limit to your involvement in this school. One man can only divide his attentionso much.”

“I can assure you dear Lena that the limit does not exist. You know, you’d actually be a great addition to our tech team.”

Lena scoffs “Don’t be irrational, there’s no way I could find the time.”

Mr. Jones replies with a know-it-all expression, “You’re smart Lena, I’m sure you could figure out a solution. Now get to class, before you get in treble.”

Lena squints at the teacher jokingly just as the first bell rings.

Witty wordplay aside, that conversation actually leaves her with a lot to think about as she heads to her first class. Maybe she should consider some sort of extracurricular, maybe one that Kara is involved in...


	5. Dweebs

Kara hasn’t even looked at Alex since the other day. She wouldn’t be able to unless she wanted her eyes to well up again in anger and embarrassment, without any promise of stopping. Nevertheless, the Danvers’ house is too far out in the country and she needs a ride to school. When it’s time to go, she gets into Alex’s Jeep without a word, slamming the door not-so-subtly. Kara can sense Alex’s unease and she’s glad to be having some kind of effect on her, but simply making someone feel guilty is a hollow victory.

Alex puts the car in drive and pulls slowly out onto the road. Country music plays quietly on the radio before she moves to turn the dial down.

“Look— ” she starts.

“No I will not do homework for you and your jackass friends,” Kara interjects abruptly.

The shock is visible on Alex’s face when she remembers that superhearing is one of Kara’s many abilities. Apparently holding a grudge is one too. 

“I, I was not going to ask you to do that. It was just… a joke.” Unsure if she even believes herself, Alex turns to look at Kara in the passenger seat, arms crossed and steely-eyed, staring straight ahead.

She tries again, “They’re just confused why a freshman is in Algebra 2 in the first place.”

Kara doesn’t even breath a reply.

After a few more seconds of tense silence and faint guitar riffs, Alex finally mumbles out an “I’m sorry.”

That causes Kara to shift and turn her head slightly towards Alex.

Kara replied sternly, “If we are going to be sisters we have to look out for each other. And if you asked me, those friends of yours are trouble.”

Alex alternates between looking at the road and back to Kara. Wondering if she’ll use her laser vision or any other of her God-given gifts to get back at her somehow. But she just stares straight ahead.

Alex eventually whispers out another “I’m really sorry” before stoically turning her attention back to the road.

They sit for the rest of the trip in silence.

///

Kara makes her way sulkily through the halls. Her backpack is slung loosely over her shoulder. She doesn’t realize it’s actually unzipped as well until all of her notebooks and papers spill out, spreading like liquid across the tiled floor.

She stops walking and just stands dejectedly for a moment before bitterly bending down to pick up the entirety of the contents of her bag. She has to pull homework assignments from under many students feet and hope she doesn’t get marked down for having dirty shoe prints on them. A couple of them actually kick pencils back in her direction, but there was only one person who actually helped her gather the splayed notebooks and hand them to her.

He looked at her with worry and asked if she was okay. It kind of snapped her out of her daze. Kara realized she hadn’t really talked to anyone new for a really long time. Besides the girl from the other day, but that was more like sniffling than actually talking.

He asked again when she didn’t respond.

“Oh yeah! I’m, I’m alright. Thank you.” She takes the last notebook from him and stands up with her backpack.

He still looks suspicious but he accepts her response “You just looked really out of it is all. Oh! Are you on drugs?” He stage-whispers the last part, cuffing his hand to one side of his mouth.

Kara looks at him, annoyed “No, I’m not on drugs.” Not like they would affect her anyway.

“Oh, ok. Well, good. Drugs are bad for you. At least that’s what my mom always tells me.“

“Riight... Well, I have to get to class, but thanks again.” Kara nods and heads in the other direction.”

“Actually we have the same first period.” The vexing boy says as he tails along beside Kara.

Kara turns towards him, “Really?”

“Yup, I sit right behind you actually,” he says smiling.

“Oh, what was your name again?”

“It’s Winn, and you’re Kara right?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

 _Winn, now she remembers, that was Alex’s one piece of advice, to avoid this —what did she call him? A dweeb?_ Well _, dweebs seem to be pretty nice after all._


	6. Acting

After Kara gets out of her Biology class with her new friend Winn, they decide to buy lunch from the school cafeteria, and then head to the library to study for an upcoming test.

 

“I still can’t believe you finished all that food, I didn’t even know that was humanly possible.” Winn marvels again at the amount of pizza and tater tots that Kara loaded onto her tray in the cafeteria.

“Hah! Well believe it, I told you I have a fast metabolism.” She assures him, setting down her textbooks on one of the round tables in the center of the library. “So, first order of business is to go over the material from last class, I’ll go grab the book on reptile subspecies.”

“Sounds good. I’ll prepare the flashcards!” He says with an excited smile and a thumbs up.

Kara grins as he starts pulling out color-coded pens and index cards and laying them neatly on the desk.

 

After having the library assistant point her in the right direction, Kara walks towards the corner of the library that holds the scientific texts. She rounds one of the tall shelves into the alcove that houses the reptile section and discovers that Lena is there, sitting at a small table facing the window. Her raven-colored hair is pulled back in a long ponytail that flows down her straightened back, and the sleeveless blouse she’s wearing exposes her pale arms. Kara stills, staring for what feels like a long time before remembering what she came there for. She abruptly turns towards the shelves and starts rifling through the books, and manages to knock one off the end of the shelf.

 

At this Lena turns, Kara looks back at her feigning surprise.

“Oh, hi! Didn’t see you there.” She blurts nervously.

“Likewise,” Lena says cooly.

Before either has the chance to say anything more, Winn’s voice can be heard approaching, “Hey Kara did you find the book?”

“Oh, hey Lena!” Winn says genuinely, giving her a little wave.   

“Hello, Winston,” Lena replies politely.

“You guys know each other?” Kara asks.

“We went to the same prep school before switching to National City High, that place was teeming with pompous jerks so we kind of stuck together. _Y_ __o_ u guys _ know each other?” Winn mimics her question, gesturing with his pointer fingers.

“Well, we’ve had a run in before,” says Kara, smiling in her direction, “So your name’s Lena? That's pretty, almost like Luna, like the moon, which is also really pretty when you can see it. I think the next full moon is actually coming up soon and — oh sorry, I’m rambling.”

Lena lets out an amused chuckle, “No worries, and thank you for the compliment.”

“You’re welcome,” Kara replies, determined to keep her reply in check, she always rambles when she’s nervous. Why is she so nervous?

 

Winn breaks the tension. “Right. Anyway, this is actually perfect Lena because I’ve been meaning to talk to you. Mr. Jones mentioned that you were joining the play’s tech team?”

Lena’s attention snaps to Winn, “He mentioned it, but I never committed to anything.”

“Oh really? That’s a shame because I was hoping to step in front of the lights this year, I’ve been practicing.” He poses with his hands on his hips, basking in the imaginary spotlight.

The posture suddenly melts away and he gets a sad look in his eye, “The thing is, there’s not really anyone else who knows how to run that kind of equipment. So if no one steps up, my dream of commanding the stage  will never see the light of day.” She looks down at his feet, shoulders sagging and even lets out a fake sniffle.

“Okay, fine.” Lena concedes. “I couldn’t let all that talent go to waste.”

Winn peps up again, with a triumphant look “Nailed it!”

“You should join too.” Lena directs her statement at Kara.

“Waht!? Me? I’ve never acted before in my life.” Kara reacts. Though shortly after it occurs to her that hiding her true origins and abilities from everyone she meets could technically be considered acting.

Lena continues to persuade her, “I don’t know, I could see it. You’ve got the looks at least.” The last part is a whisper, and Kara can’t see it but her cheeks turn a slight shade of red as soon as she says it. 

“Oh. oh! Um yeah maybe.. I’ll give it a look?”

“Awesome!” Winn shouts. “Auditions are actually today after school in the auditorium. So I guess we’ll see you later Lena!” He pulls the book they need off the shelf and starts heading back towards their round table.

 

Kara and Lena are left alone again.

Kara just laughs in awe, “What did we just get ourselves into?“

“I guess we’ll find out after school,” Lena returns with an equally amused tone.

“I guess so. Welp see you then, Lena!”

“See you, Kara,” Lena replies with a tight nod.

As Kara is walking back to meet Winn, she overhears Lena let out a deep sigh. Concerned, she continues to listen as Lena's chair spins back towards her table, and she mutters to herself, _“A Luthor_ working for the  _school musical?_ You've got it bad, Lena."

 _Oh._ Kara thinks. S _he must have a thing for Winn_. It's the only conclusion she can come with as she approaches the table, so she decides to disregard any other feelings that arise because she's got a biology test to study for.

"Winn, bring out the flashcards!" 


	7. Rainbows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit longer this time.

Winn somehow finds Kara as she’s walking out of her last class. “Hey, Kara!” He touches her shoulder to get her attention.  “Ready to begin your theater debut?”

“Oh. You bet!” Kara says convincingly enough that Winn doesn’t notice her hesitation.

She’s nervous for sure, but this is going to be good for her. She’s going to meet new people, have something to do after school ( _take that Alex_ ), and she’ll even get to hang out with Lena on a regular basis.  

There’s one thing that’s bothering her though. After what she overheard in the library, she has been dying to know more about Lena and Winn’s connection. And she’s been deriving the perfect plan to subtly gather more info.

“Soo,” She begins as they walk towards the auditorium at the other end of campus, “You and Lena?”

“Huh?” Winn replies half-paying attention, too preoccupied with something on his phone. He looks up at her with genuine confusion, “What about me and Lena?”

“Well, it just seems like you guys know each other pretty well,” Kara ventures, “I was just wondering if anything ever went on between the two of you, like, romantically or whatever.” She looks casually at the ground as she walks, avoiding the cracks with her footsteps.

Winn bursts into a short fit of laughter, “Oh, Kara.” He coughs as he gets his breath back. “Sure, Lena and I share some common interests, and I can tell she thinks I’m hilarious, but I’ve never been able to break her shell beyond that.”

Kara chuckles lightly with him, but inside she lets out a sigh of relief.

Winn continues, “You know her family, the Luthors, they own half of the companies in National City. I would imagine growing up with that kind of wealth, that kind of power, would make a person more cocky. But Lena’s different, she doesn’t want all the attention.”

Kara tilts her head towards Winn, listening intently.

“Yeah, she just wants to do good for the world and try and reinvent the stigma around her family name. At least that’s what she told me. But if you ask me something basic like her favorite color? I got nothing.’”

“Huh, interesting.” Is all Kara can get out as they enter the auditorium.

Well, it’s called the auditorium, but apparently, it’s also used as a gym. The center of the floor is emblazoned with the National City High School mascot, the Skyhawk. Sport championship banners line the perimeter of the walls and are accentuated by the afternoon light shining through the high windows. The only features that make this building seem usable for theater are the rows of neatly lined folding chairs set up to face the raised stage at the far end of the building.

A few of the seats are filled already and Winn spots Lena first. At the sight of her, he runs over. At least as well as he can run with his messenger bag bouncing against his hip.

 

///

 

Lena spins around at the sound of her shouted name. She cracks an amused smile as she sees Winn rushing, rather ungracefully, towards her.

“Lena!” He repeats as he nears closer, “I’m so glad you came!”

Winn plops down into the chair next to Lena’s. She’s placed herself in the far left corner, closest to the stage. She’s purposefully close enough to witness everything happening on stage, while still allowing for an easy escape if necessary. Yet she firmly decides that she won’t be going anywhere as she notices Kara following a few paces behind Winn. Kara gives Lena a quick, but lovely smile as she sits beside Winn. Lena returns the smile but averts her eyes, suddenly regretting her seating position. She really just wants to be as close as possible to this girl, but so far everything else is going according to plan. I mean she managed to set herself up to see Kara on a daily basis. Now she just has to figure out where to go from there.

As students continue to trickle into the auditorium, the three chat about nerves and try to help Kara pick a last-minute audition song that she knows by heart. Fortunately, _The Wizard of Oz_ happens to be her favorite movie and she's watched it over ten times in the last few months. Odd, Lena thinks, _but convenient._ Kara explains that she was trying to learn as much as she could about American pop-culture when she moved here, and that movie just resonated with her. “There’s no place like home” and all.

Winn wouldn’t divulge what song he chose for the audition. He wanted it to be a surprise, but Winn assured them it was also from a well-renowned classic.

 

//

 

Conversation fades quickly as Mr. Jones strolls onto the stage, hands held confidently behind his back.

When he reaches the center he turns ninety-degrees and pauses a moment, waiting for full silence before speaking.

“Welcome students!” He bellows at last. “I’m glad all of you decided to come out to the first round of auditions for the National City High School production of _The Wizard of O_ z!”

There’s light cheering and whistling from the crowd.

“The auditions will take place in the order of the sign-up list.”

 

Kara looks at Winn with concern.

“Don’t worry, I signed you up after my name,” he whispers.

Kara nods and mouths a “Thanks” before returning her attention to Mr. Jones.

 

“Each student will have five minutes total to introduce themselves and perform an emotional musical number. I look forward to seeing everyone’s talent. So let’s get this show on the road!”

More enthusiastic cheers from the sparse audience.

Mr. Jones exits the stage and seats himself front and center with a clipboard in his lap. “First up, Samantha Arias!”

 

A girl with shiny brown hair timidly stands up and walks towards the stage. Lena only knows a few things about Samantha Arias. Apparently, she’s a senior who transferred here last year. And there’s a rumor that she became pregnant at her old school and had to give up the baby before coming here. Lena has also overheard that she is an extremely talented actress, and she’s pretty much a shoe-in for the lead.

The girl announces that she will be singing “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables and takes a moment to settle into her character on stage. She starts quiet and progresses through the heart-wrenching song to create an incredible crescendo. After finishing the impossibly-long ending note, she wipes the tears from her own face and speaks into the microphone “My name is Samantha Arias, thank you.”

The audience is too shocked to even clap, Kara and Winn are just holding each other and weeping, and even Lena feels her eyes get a little watery. _Damn,_ Lena thinks, _That girl has talent._

 

The next few auditions are pretty uneventful. Not bad, just paling in comparison to the first act

Lena even finds herself getting a bit bored until Winn’s name is called to go up.

“Wish me luck guys!”

“Good luck!” Lena and Kara answer in accidental unison. They look at each other and smile.

“I’m still wondering what song he chose,” Kara says.

“We'll see soon enough.” Lena returns.

 

Winn dramatically marches to the stage with a puffed out chest, tripping a little on the stairs up, but catching himself quickly and resuming the march.

“Hello everyone, my name is Winn Schott and I will be performing “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” from the classic Disney film, I’m sure you’ve heard of it, Mulan.”

He gives a pointed look towards his friends and takes a deep breath before exploding into song, “LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS! TO DEFEAT THE HUNS!”

By the time the performance is over Lena and Kara are both frozen in awe. Winn has a surprisingly powerful voice for such a skinny body. When Winn returns to sit between them he has an almost arrogant grin, “Well? What did you ladies think?”  

“Um Winn, that was incredible! How the hell am I supposed to compete with that?” exclaims Kara.

“I agree, Winn, very impressive,” Lena adds.

“Thanks, guys,” He smiles a little more bashfully, “And thank again Lena for filling the tech position for me, I wouldn’t be able to do this without your help.”

“No trouble, I’m glad to be here.”

 

“Okay last audition for the day, Ms. Kara Danvers?”

When Kara stays seated Winn and Lena look over at her in concern. “Come on Kara, you’re up!”

Kara doesn’t respond. She just stares straight ahead, breathy unevenly.

Lena can see that her hands are shaking slightly. She takes this opportunity to reach out and touch her fingers softly. “Kara, are you alright?”

 Kara turns towards her, “Yeah, yeah. Just a little more nervous than I thought. I guess. I just need...a second.”

Lena squeezes her hand for comfort. She sees Kara close her eyes and take a deep breath. “Alright, I’m okay.” She looks past Winn and into Lena’s concerned eyes, a deep green pool that she gets lost in for a second. Mr. Jones calls her name again, louder “Ms. Danvers are you here?”

That snaps her out of it, “Yes, yes I’m here!” Kara jumps up.

 

///

 

As Lena’s hand falls out of Kara’s grasp she instantly misses the warmth of it. But even that brief moment helped bring her heart rate down to a reasonable level. 

She quickly paces up the stage and plants her feet together in front of the microphone stand. She grasps at the mic lightly and tries to speak into it. “Hello, my name is—”

“A little bit louder dear!” Mr. Jones shouts encouragingly from the audience.

Kara gets closer to the mic “Sorry. Hello, my name is Kara Danvers and I will be singing ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ from _The Wizard of Oz_.”

Mr. Jones gives her a thumbs up.

Kara knows the song, she’s watched the movie over and over and over again. She’s watched this scene more times than she can count. It makes her think of her parents, about the life they thought they were granting her when she was sent to this planet. They saved her from war and evil and sent her somewhere where she could be safe, happy, and free. But there’s always a consequence because now she’s alone and she doesn’t have any ruby red slippers or even a planet to head home to.

All of this emotion wells up in her as she begins the song. It’s sad, but hopeful. She doesn’t even think about her voice or her acting. She looks towards her friends, and Lena is watching her thoughtfully, the corner of her mouth peaks up when they make eye contact. It gives Kara a little more confidence and she begins to sway with the song. Eventually, she detaches the mic from the stand emphasizes the end of her song, using her free hand to gesture upward and looking dreamily up at the ceiling.

When she finishes the song, everyone applauds, Winn and Lena especially loud. Kara resets the microphone and walks past Mr. Jones as he replaces her spot. He gives her a soft congratulations, “Great job, Kara. First auditions are always nerve-wracking, but you did very well.”

She continues past the front row towards her seat,  Kara sees the girl named Samantha whisper to a boy sitting next to her. They both shoot Kara an agitated look. She’s not sure what that was about.

 

Kara is still making her way to her seat as Mr. Jones announces the end of auditions and that callbacks will announce the following day.

 

Winn is literally buzzing with excitement when she makes it back, “See! I knew you’d be great! I have a knack for spotting secret theater kids. Lena is definitely not one of them, by the way,” he jokes, poking Lena’s shoulder.

“Hey! I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no singer, but I can certainly appreciate good production value.” Lena retorts and turns towards Kara.

“And I know you were nervous up there but I assure you all I could see on that stage was raw talent and confidence.”

A relieved smile appears on Kara’s face, “If there’s anyone I’d believe is telling the truth it’s you.”

“Really?” Lena inquires with surprise, “Why’s that?”

“I don’t know. You just seem, real,” Kara tries her best to explain, “Honest.”

“Hah, well after years of being typecast as deceptive and corrupt, that’s certainly a new description.”

Kara looks at her serious “What do you mean? Who calls you that?”

Lena realizes she’s let too much slip and she doesn’t want to expose the darker side of her family history to Kara just yet. “Oh Kara, don’t worry yourself, it’s just the politics of business. Um, I should go talk to Mr. Jones, about the tech job.” Lena says evasively before abandoning the conversation to go find the director.

 

“Oh yeah, she’s an open book alright”

Kara elbows Winn in the side.

“Ow! Jeez, Kara, I can’t sing with a broken rib.”

“Oh sorry, that was too hard,” she gives Lena one last worried look. “I guess let’s get out of here.”


	8. Lessons

Lena’s eyes follow Winn and Kara as they slip through the doors on the opposite side of the auditorium. She regrets leaving them so abruptly, but she can’t help getting a bit defensive when it comes to her personal life. She’s always had to be on her guard, can’t let people know too much or else they could use it against her.

Mr. Jones notices Lena’s distraction as he’s explaining the rehearsal schedule and tech responsibilities. He turns around to see what she is staring at so intensely. Or rather, who. When he sees Winn and Kara he gets a knowing smile on his face.

As he turns back around to look at Lena, her eyes have moved to the floor and her expression is blank, but her cheeks are tinted an obvious pink against her normally pale skin. She thanks him with a quick handshake and promises to come by his office later to talk more about the details. Mr. Jones holds her briefly before Lena can sprint away. She looks up.  
“Hey,” he says softly, “I don’t care what convinced you to take part in this whole musical business, I know it’s not really your scene. But whatever it is, I’m just glad you’re here. I think it will be good for you.” Lena responds with a sheepish half-smile and thanks him again before heading towards the exit.

//

Lena finds herself waiting in front the school for almost an hour after rehearsal. She’s called her driver at least ten times with no response. She could walk again but it’s nearly dawn, it would probably be safer just to stay put. Her phone is at two-percent battery as she lifts it to make what will most likely be her final frantic phone call. This time someone actually picks up.  
Tom, her diver, breathes heavily before responding with the imitation of a cheerful tone. “Lena! Sorry, I’ve missed your calls, I’ll be there to pick you up in no time.”  
“Tom!? Where have you—” The phone clicks off before Lena can finish her question.

_I’ll just have to chastise him properly, in person._

Lena sits another twenty minutes before she finally sees the familiar black sedan pull into the pick-up area.

She gracefully slides into the back seat with an explicit slam of the shiny black door.  
“Someone better have died or been born, any other excuse will be insufficient for such irresponsibility. I might have to find myself another driver that I can trust to actually do their job.” She barks, irritated, as she buckles in her seatbelt.

The barrier between the front and back seats remains closed even after her ranting. Lena gives it a few knocks.  
“I’m talking to you!”  
No response, except for the sound of shifting gears and the car pulling away from the curb.  
“Fine be that way, but don’t be surprised if you don’t have a job by tomorrow.”

Lena sits in silence for a while, staring out the window since her phone is dead by this point. She notices that they are taking the long way home. Or, at least it seemed like that until they take another turn that points them in the opposite direction of their destination.

“Hey, Tom. I know I don’t have my license yet, but I do know that this is not the way home.”

She knocks on the barrier again.

After a few seconds, it lowers slowly, about three inches. Just enough for Lena to see the driver’s face in the rearview mirror. It’s Tom, but his eyes are panicked. She leans closer to the barrier and sees there’s a second person in the passenger seat. She instantly recoils back into her seat. She tries to maintain her breathing as she processes the image of the feminine figure, wearing all black, and holding a handgun. The barrel of the handgun resting calmly against her driver's temple.

She pulls at the door handle as quietly as she could, but the child locks are on. What else is there to do in this situation? She’s trapped.

Tom gives her a final look that seems to be saying, “Be careful” before the barrier closes back up.

For the rest of the car ride, Lena is kept busy by formulating a million different escape plans that she doesn’t have the skill, or the strength, or technology to pull off in her current situation. So far her best bet is to try to outsmart her kidnappers, offer them money, or, as a last resort, kick off her high-heeled shoes and run.

After what seems like an eternity of driving, the car pulls into the backlot of an abandoned farm on the outskirts of the city. There’s an old, gray barn that looks to be about three stories tall, and the light on the front wall is dim enough to just make out the silhouette of a well-used pickup truck inside of the open doorway.

Lena steels herself for whatever comes next. She is not going out without a fight, but she is a realist. There’s a possibility that she might not make it through whatever happens.

The car's engine goes quiet and she suddenly misses the hum, it seemed to mean safety. Now there’s only silence, and Lena’s not sure what that means just yet. In this moment one of her deepest fears is being reaffirmed, the unknown.

Lena hears the muffled opening of the passenger side door. She unbuckles her own seatbelt and waits.  
Gravel crunches as the passenger walk around the front of the car towards her seat behind the driver. The footsteps are calm, confident, familiar…

Lena can’t see anything through the tinted windows but she can sense the woman a few feet away from her, only a bulletproof door frame in between them. After a moment, Lena hears the woman pull lightly on the handle and slowly peel open the doorway, eliminating her layer of protection. She is fully exposed as the dull light falls over her.

Lena stares straight ahead, internally assessing the situation. In her peripheral, she sees the same figure, dressed in black. The woman's left hand, the one without the gun, moves slowly towards Lena’s face and gloved fingers softly caress her cheek.

The unexpected move causes slight hesitation, but after a second Lena takes action. She uses her teeth to bite the hand of her kidnapper. Hard. They jump back with a high-pitched yelp. In anger, the handgun arm swings up toward her. Lena whips her own arms to grab the barrel of the gun and twist it out of her perpetrator's hand. Throwing it to the opposite side of the car. Then she spins her legs outside of the car to kick the women's shins with the sharp heel of her shoes. This causes the women to fall towards the car and hit her head on the top of the door opening.  
She staggers back, unsure of which injury to nurse first. While the woman is stunned Lena goes back for the gun and loads the chamber before exiting the back seat.

She stands over her perpetrator, gun held adeptly towards the masked figure, still seething on the gravel driveway.  
“Who are you and what do you want?” She growls, her voice thick with all the disdain and outrage she can muster.  
The figure continues to breathe unevenly in short bursts, but after a few seconds, it gets stronger and breathier, eventually evolving into a sick kind of laughter.

At the sound of that laugh, Lena lowers the gun in disgust and throws it to the ground in front of her.  
“Who would’ve thought, I’ve been kidnapped by my own mother.”  
The woman takes off the mask and reveals thick black curls that shine in the dim light the same way that her daughter’s hair does.  
“Oh don’t be like that, this was just a little test.” Lillian Luthor says, still a little breathless and she stands up.  
“You’re sick.” Lena spits, crossing her arms.  
“You did well.” Lillian grinned smugly, “You were calm, you were observant, you used your environment to your advantage. I can see that those self-defense classes have paid off.” Lillian grabs Lena’s shoulders. “I’m proud,” She drags her into a stiff hug.

Lena reluctantly returns the hug, her eyes starting to burn with held back tears. She’s not sure if the emotion is happiness from her mother's praise or distress from this whole ordeal. She decides to hold it in and figure that out later, but speaking might expose her wavering voice, so she decides to remain silent.  
Lillian continues, whispering in her ear softly “You did better than I expected, but I wanted you to see just how dangerous life as a Luthor can be. You could take me, but imagine a whole gang of meatheads bent on putting an end to our family and stealing our fortune. You are just a pawn to them, but I know that you are much more special than that.”  
The embrace ends suddenly and Lillian shouts towards the car “Tom, start the car!”  
Lillian is quickly at the passenger door and turns back to Lena when she notices she hasn’t moved. “Come on, Lena, honey, let’s get out of here.”  
Lena walks slowly back to the car, conflicted. _Her mother might be insane, but that’s also the most praise she’s gotten from her in her entire life. Plus, she was just trying to teach her a lesson, even if it was a little... theatrical._


	9. Involuntary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> little bit of a sanvers for ya'll

“Last night Kara went to an audition for the musical,” Alex scoffed. “She’s been hanging out with exactly the losers that I warned her about.”

“Hey, as long as she’s found her crowd,” replies Maggie, nonchalantly.

“I mean, I guess, I just know she’s in for a world of bullying if she goes through with it. Theater kids are easy targets,” Alex responds. 

“Look, Danvers,” Maggie gives up on rolling the sweat-stained wrestling mat and turns to face her, “You should be happy that she’s found her own friends, you’ve  practically been begging her to quit bothering you since the beginning of summer.”

“I know! And I’m happy about that I guess. I just don’t know about these people… I mean, have you ever even talked to Lena Luthor? I feel like no one knows anything about her.”

“Yeah I’m pretty impressed actually, that girl’s been several of my classes and I’ve never gotten a full conversation out of her. She must  _ really _ like Kara to give her that much attention.”

“And what do you mean by that, exactly?” Alex prods, eyebrow raised.

“I don’t know, maybe she’s got a little crush,” Maggie retorts batting her eyelashes with a lovestruck expression. 

“What the hell Mags, just because you’re gay doesn’t mean everyone else is,” Alex half-heartedly pushes her shoulder.

“Hey!” Maggie exclaims retaining her balance. “I’ll have you know one of my lesbian superpowers is having excellent gaydar. I mean I figured you out real quick.”

“As if,” Alex hisses and looks around to see if any of their wrestling teammates might have overhead. Maggie didn’t say anything accusatory, but she’s still paranoid. She wouldn’t want anyone to think she’s different. Not that she thinks Maggie’s weird for being gay, she’s actually pretty cool. I mean she’s the top of the wrestling team, first in her family to be applying for college, great sense of humor, really nice hair. Anyway, Alex looked up to her. 

“Sorry, I forgot you’re not out at school yet.”  Maggie looks a little guilty, “But on a serious note, I  get mad gay vibes from Lena, sure she’s quiet, but the eyes can say a lot without meaning to,” she says with a wink.

Alex blushes. “Ok well, whether she’s gay or not,  Kara is still my little sister I gotta protect her right?”

“Do whatever feels right Danvers,” she goes back to rolling the mat.  

“Right. Whatever that means.” Alex whispers to herself. 

 

“Come on ladies get your butts to the locker room and shower, I can smell you from here,” the wrestling coach, Ms. Lance, yells out, “Play rehearsal has the gym booked for five so we gotta move out.”

 

The girls start gathering their belongings and packing up, but before they can leave Ms. Lance chimes up again, “Oh and speaking of the play, I’ve been informed that Mr. Jones is looking for a few more stagehands if any of you overachievers out there want to add another extracurricular.”

The girls stare at the coach a moment before turning back towards the direction of the locker room. “Oh come on girls it will be fun, that crew could clearly use some new muscle.” Blank stares from everyone. 

Exasperated, “I also heard a rumor that they have free pizza at every rehearsal?”

 

That elicits the right response. “Sara, you totally should have led with that. I’m in!” shouts Maggie.

“Great Maggie, and it'd be best if you stuck to Ms. Lance, at least during school hours... ahem, alright anyone else?!”

Maggie looks to Alex, expectantly.

Alex sighs and raises her hand, “Fine, I’m in too.”

“That’s the spirit” Maggie give her a hard pat on the back as she walks towards the showers. 

“The things I’d do for you,” Alex mutters and Maggie just laughs. 

_ The things I’d do to you, _ Alex thinks with just a smile as she watches Maggie walk away.


	10. Closets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All these characters in one room? Just looking for trouble ;)

“Thank you, everyone, for coming out to rehearsal last night. I am happy to inform that every one of you will have a part in this play, and it’s all listed right here,” Mr. Jones gestures dramatically to the clipboard in his hand. “Now, I don’t want anyone stampeding so if we could all calmy make a line in front of this table.”

Chairs squeak against the hardwood floor as the young actors power-walk their way to the front of the stage. It’s a mad dash to see who made the cut for the lead roles.

Samantha Arias is first to the table, but she is silent after quickly scanning the clipboard. Moments later her eye catches Kara’s and she spits out a venomous, “Congratulations.”

“For what?” Kara replies, genuinely confused.

Sam just scoffs.

“What's up her stockings? She's definitely Dorothy, right?” Winn asks Kara as he walks up next to her.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Lena says as she strains to pass them the list with one hand and swat away grabby fingers with the other.

“Oh Roa,” Kara whispers, shocked as she reads over the list. “I mean, oh wow! I never would have guessed! I was shooting for a dancing tree or something.”

“Looks like Mr. Jones saw your talent,” Winn says. “Oh look! I’m the Cowardly Lion, nice!”

“And Sam is the Wicked Witch of the West. Seems fitting enough,” Lena says cooly.

A shout, “Alright, now that everyone knows their parts I’m going to hand out scripts. Today’s gonna be a pretty easy day, just read through the lines and try to practice them in groups. It’ll be fun.” Mr. Jones opens up a cardboard box on the ground and starts handing out the thin booklets that would become their lives for the next month or so.

 

//

 

“We could probably practice in here,” Kara says to her friends as she grabs for the handle of the prop closet.

She opens the door and it smashes against something hard.

“Ow! Watch it!” yells an irritated voice from behind the door.

Maggie reveals herself as she stands up from her spot on the floor, hand rubbing at her shoulder.

“Oh no, are you okay! I’m so sorry, I didn’t know anyone was in here!” Kara apologizes frantically as she quickly inspects the girl's injuries with her laser vision, no fractures, that’s good at least.

“Yeah whatever, I’m fine,” Maggie grumbles as she looks up at the girl. She glances back and forth between the blond curls and at the two people standing behind her. Recognition suddenly dawns on her face. “It’s Kara, right? I don’t know if we’ve been properly introduced yet,” Maggie reaches out her hand, “I know your sister, from the wrestling team.”

“Oh! Yeah, cool.” Kara returns the handshake, a little too tightly judging by the grimace that flashes on Maggie’s face. “Um, sorry. These are my friends.” Kara gestures behind her.

“Of course, Lena and Winn, right? We’ve had a class or two together.”

“Right, haha. Sometimes I forget I’m the new one around here.” Kara says with a chuckle.

“This city can be surprisingly small. Families know each other from way back, but you seem to be finding your place in it pretty well, little Danvers,” Maggie replies with a charming smile.

This girl actually seems kinda nice. _I wonder why she was never at any of Alex’s parties?_

 

“Hey Maggie, so, uh, what are you doing in the prop closet anyway?” Winn chimes in.

“Well, Winifred, I’m actually on the stage crew, but they don’t have any work for us yet. So we’re just hanging out in here, eating some pizza, and— _if you swear to keep this a secret_ —I procured a bottle of whiskey to help pass the time,” she shoots Kara a raised eyebrow.

 

_“Ooh, cop's daughter turned rebel? I like where this is going.” Winn whispers excitedly to Lena._

_“I didn’t know her dad was a cop” Lena replies, eying Maggie curiously._

_“Are you kidding me, it’s like all she would talk about in ninth grade, but I guess she’s changed her values a bit.”_

 

Easily overhearing her friends’ conversation, Kara struggles to keep the concerned expression off her face. Instead, she tells herself she will make her own judgments about Maggie and not base her opinions off of rumors.

She continues the conversation with respect, “No worries, I won’t tell anyone. I can actually leave you alone, or —wait  did you say _we_?”

“Oh yup, guess who’s here!” Maggie gestures to another figure seated behind the door.

Kara doesn’t know how she could have missed it, but her sister Alex has been in the prop room this whole time. Kara watches dumbfounded as Alex struggles in her attempt to reach a standing position, she’s clearly started on that whiskey.

“Oh, hey Kara! Didn’t see you there! There was a door and a can’t see through those, ya know?”

“Hah, right, that’d be crazy if you could!” Kara responds nervously. This was bad, it’s not safe to be around her sister while she’s in this state, something could easily slip about her powers.

Kara tries again to get out of this situation, “As I was saying, we can totally leave you guys alone, we don’t want to bother,” Kara looks pleadingly at her friends.

Lena seems to understand her expression, “I was going to help them rehearse lines, yeah, probably gonna be pretty loud, wouldn’t want us to stick around.”

Winn, oblivious to Kara’s discomfort, “Unless you guys wanna run some with us that'd be pretty helpful! There were actually a few more ensemble characters on page eleven that might need—” Lena rips the script from Winn’s hand when he starts flipping through the pages.

“No worries, Winn, I got it,” Lena gives him a pointed look.

“Oh, ok, nevermind then.”

Maggie looks amused, “You guys are such overachievers,” she says playfully. “Come on, this is the first day of rehearsal! You’ve got all the time in the world to figure out lines. How about we get to know each other a little better instead. Why don’t you join us?” Maggie shoots Alex a coy smile.

 

As if the meaning of Maggie’s words take a second to catch up to her, she suddenly puts up a similar protest as Kara and friends, “Pshh, noo. It’s fine, it’s, like, wayy too cramped in here anyway.”

“We’ll get cozy,” Maggie, insists with a wide smile. “Plus, I know just the thing to take this bonding experience to the next level. _Truth or Dare_.”


	11. Revelations

_ Maggie won’t take no for an answer.  _

Winn, Lena, and Kara end up taking a seat on a ragged looking loveseat that was hidden under a tall pile of prop boxes. Winn jumps to sit on the armrest and Kara squeezes as far over to the side as possible and makes a motion for Lena to sit beside her. Lena inspects the unknown stain on the cushion but eventually decides to ignore her concerns about proper sanitation. This  _ is _ a chance to cozy up next to Kara, and she has to take advantage of these opportunities where she can. 

“Now that we’re all settled in this intimate space,” Maggie says, gesturing to the confining walls of the prop room, “this is the perfect opportunity to get to know each other a little better, maybe even push some boundaries. You all know how the game works right?”

Kara raises her hand lightly, “Uh, not exactly. We didn’t really play this at my old school.”

“What??” Winn says, shocked. “This is like a classic! It’s the best way to find out who’s crushing on who or to make some kid eat a slug for no reason. It’s the whole package, and very entertaining.”

“Don’t worry Kara,” Maggie says reassuringly, “This game goes a little beyond slug eating as you get older, but I will say it is still  _ quite _ entertaining. Basically, someone asks you  _ truth or dare? _ and based on your choice they will either ask you a question or give you a challenge. And you have to do it, no exceptions. Then, you get to ask the next person. Easy.”

“Yeah… sounds easy enough. No exceptions, huh?”

“Yup,” Maggie pops the ‘p’ in the word.

“Okayy.” Kara is hesitant at anything that might expose her, but what are they gonna do if she turns down a dare anyway? It’s not like they can force her to stay. She decides to just enjoy it, this is a game after all. A silly, schoolyard game.

“Alright!” Maggie claps her hands, “Who wants to go first? How about you Big Danvers?”

Maggie looks over at Alex who had been quiet up to this point, slowly sipping from the whiskey bottle in the corner.

“I dun wanna play. I’m out. Well not reallllly out, you know what I mean,” Alex points the bottle at Maggie and gives her an attempt at a wink, but it’s more like one long blink. 

Maggie just shakes her head and reaches for the bottle. “Ok, girly, I think you’ve had enough.” 

Alex let’s out a soft whimper but quickly concedes. After which she almost immediately closes her eyes and curls into a ball for a nap. 

Maggie sighs, “I guess I’ll start then. How abouut, Lena. Truth or dare?” 

Lena turns to her, face unreadable, “Dare,” she says cooly.

“Hm. I was expecting truth,” Maggie gives a nervous chuckle and pauses to think. “Give me a minute.”

She lifts up the bottle in her hand and inspects the contents. It’s getting close to empty, but there’s  definitely enough for a rigid someone to loosen up a little. She makes her decision.

“Here,” Maggie jerks the bottle in Lena’s direction, “Finish it.”

Lena takes the bottle timidly. She recognizes the label of Fireball Whiskey and calculates that there are probably two or three shots lefts in there.  Lena looks over at Kara and sees an almost protective look in her eye. She knows she doesn’t  _ have  _ to do this, but she wants Kara to know that she can handle herself.

Lena decides to just go with it. She takes a large swig from the bottle. Kara’s face transforms from concern to surprise, Winn and Maggie take on the same expression. Alex doesn’t react though, she’s still sleeping in the corner. 

When Lena rests the bottle back in her lap it’s not empty yet. “That’s probably fine right?” Kara looks pleadingly at Maggie, “That’s more than enough I mean - “ 

As she’s speaking Kara notices Lena move again. She watches attentively as Lena downs the rest of the liquid and tosses the bottle on the floor. She’s hardly affected it seems.

They all look at her dumbfounded. Maggie says what they’re all thinking, “Woah, uptight Luthor downing her cheap whiskey like a pro sorority girl. I must say I’m impressed.”

Lena shrugs “I prefer scotch.”

“Classy,” Winn gives a nod of approval.

“Ok, Lena, ladies choice.”

Lena is starting to feel a little tingle from the alcohol and doesn’t think much before choosing Winn for her questioning. 

Lena looks past Kara and notices that she’s still staring at her, dumbfounded. Her attention seems to be focused specifically on the area of her lips where the bottle previously was. Lena wipes her mouth in case she had spilled or something, she didn’t want to look like a dribbling idiot. That seems to knock Kara out of her trance though, and Kara turns to Winn as well, cheeks turning a pleasing pink color.  _ Aww, _ Lena can’t stop the thought that drifts into her mind,  _ she’s cute when she’s embarrassed. _

“Come on, Lena, lay it on me,” Winn says confidently. “FYI I already choose dare.”

“Oh,” Lena says, coming out of her own stupor of admiring Kara’s jawline. “Um, I dare you to…” She looks around for inspiration until she lands on a particular prop box from musical My Fair Lady. “I dare you to dress up in costume for the rest of the game.”

“Hah! Easy. There are so many options,” he leans over to rummage through the boxes behind the couch, “Charming Prince, brave army soldier,” a gasp “We have a dragon costume!.”

“Sorry, but I already had one in mind,” Lena smirks as she points to the container stored precariously on top of a filing cabinet. An extravagant feathered hat and white ruffled dress spill over the edges of the box. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Winn says, shoulders dropping in defeat.

//

Winn’s return from the bathroom was declared by a large white feather peaking through a crack in the door. He speaks quietly as he pushes on the handle and inches the door open “I feel…”

“FABULOUS!” He says with pizzazz and a powerful push to the door, revealing himself in all of his costumed glory. 

Everyone pauses for a moment before bursting out laughing at his extravagant evening gown and sassy hand-on-the-hip pose. Even Alex wakes up from all the ruckus and lets out a soft “Hah, dweeb.” Before passing back out. 

He reclaims his seat back on the arm of the loveseat. This time crossing his legs and placing his hands delicately over one knee. The voluminous dress forces Kara to scoot out of its way, pressing her side against Lena’s arm. Kara notes that she feels surprisingly hot.  _ The whiskey must have hit her, _ she thinks. 

“Margaret, I choose you.  Truth or dare?” Winn says with a proper Victorian accent.

“Haha dude you’re too much. I’ll mix things up a little, truth.”

“Quite right. Tell me, what was your worst experience on a date?”

“Hmm,” Maggie ponders a moment before something clicks in her head and she smiles, “Oh man, I’ve got a good one. So I got asked out once to go on a sunset bike ride around the pier. I know, cute, right? Well, it started off really nice and we rode a few miles down the beach, then it suddenly started to get really cold and windy. Out of nowhere these gray storm clouds appear in the sky and we knew we were in trouble. At that point, we decided to turn around but it was already too late. Both of us were wearing shorts and t-shirts, so we were fucked when it started  _ pouring _ on us. When we make it back to the bike rental place the guys just laughed at us. We were soaked and shaking. Yeah, so that one didn’t go quite as planned, but at least we managed to heat ourselves up afterward if you know what I mean.” Maggie finished her story with a wink, “Man I wonder what that girl is up to now.”

“Aww,” Winn says, “that’s actually kinda cute.”

“Yeah it was, but that’s just a friend date not like a date date,” Kara chimes in, confused. 

“Oh Kara, you know that lesbians exist right?” 

“Uh.”

“You know, girls who like girls. It’s natural, it’s a thing.”

“Yeah, Oh yeah! Totally! Human being, lesbeing. Totally natural.” Kara replies with her most charming smile, but behind her eyes there is panic. 

She never learned about _ that _ from watching her classic movies. It was always girl meets boy, they kiss and fall in love, happily ever after. And it’s just dawning on her that two girls could do the same thing. I mean biologically speaking they wouldn’t be able to have se—

“Hey! Earth to Kara!” Maggie shouts, waving a hand in Kara’s face “Stop fantasizing and answer the question.”

“Whoops, sorry. Uh, what was the question?” Kara shakes her head to put this new found information on hold and determines to process it all.... later.

Maggie scoffs, “Truth or dare?”

“Right. I choose... dare?”

“Perfect.” Maggie shoots a wicked looking grin, “Since you’re so supportive of us  _ lesbeings. hah, _ why don’t you give it a try?”

Kara’s squints at Maggie “What do you mean?” Maybe she’ll have to process this sooner than she thought.

“I dare you to kiss a girl, but I’ll be kind enough to let you pick.” 

At the thought, Kara gets red in the face and she starts to stammer “I, um well. That’s not really, I don’t, I mean it’s not that I don’t erm.” She pauses to take a breath and survey her options. “Can I just kiss Winn on the cheek? I mean he’s basically a lady right now.”

“Oh dear, you flatter me,” Winn says, fanning himself.

“Sorry, doesn’t count. You have to do the dare as stated, no exceptions.”

Kara glances at Maggie, no way would she kiss her, she’s already uncomfortable enough. Maggie would never let her live it down. Kara looks into her lap and slowly draws her eyes up to look at Lena. Her posture is rigid and her slender fingers are gripped tightly on the edge of the couch cushion. Kara trails her eyes from Lena’s hands to her arms, pale a lightly freckled. The hems of Lena’s silk blouse tickle the edge of Kara’s shoulder. 

“Come on a kiss her already.” Maggie interrupts, impatient.

At that Lena eye’s snaps towards Maggie with a panicked expression. After a moment of silent pleading, Lena realizes that Maggie is not one to budge. 

When she finally gives up and connects with Kara’s curious blue eyes, Lena seems to calm down slightly. Kara is reassured for a moment, although she does notice another spike in Lena’s heartbeat when she shifts her position to face her. 

Sure, Kara has kissed before. Back on Krypton she had courted with princes from foreign planets, but she was not yet old enough to marry. To prepare for these outings she would practice with her female companions, often holding hands, kissing, sometimes more than she would do on her actually dates. She never really fathomed what that could mean though, whether it was something more than just preparation her future husband’s sake. Now, she’s not sure. 

It might take some time to figure it out. All she knows right now is that her hand is on Lena’s knee.  And Lena is gripping even tighter into the cushion beneath her and fiercely studying the wood grain on the floorboards.

“Hey,” Kara says softly with a smile. She places a hand on Lena’s cheek so their eyes can meet again, “Ignore her.”

Lena lets out a nervous breath.

Kara starts again, trying to stay confident, “Is it okay if I kiss you?”

Lena is still for a moment, until her palms finally loosen their grip and she gives slight nod.

Kara’s smile beams at that and she takes a second to regain composure before beginning to lean in.

Everyone in the room is thinking the same thing.  _ Wow, this is happening.  _

Everyone except one person. 

Alex is thinking, “What the fuck! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?! _ ”  _ Actually, she’s shouting it as she scrambles up from her sleeping spot on the floor. 

Kara and Lena quickly tilt away from each other, but Kara’s hand remains on Lena’s knee.

“Luthor better stay away from my sister! Maggie I thught you were guna find out more about er not play matchmaker! She’s got secrets that she’s hiding.” Maggie tries to calm her down with repeating phrases like “We’ve all got secrets. Come on let's get you home, you’ve been drinking a lot.” 

As her sister directs her outrage towards Maggie, Kara squeezes Lena’s thigh for reassurance, “Don’t listen to her, she’s drunk, she doesn’t know what she’s saying.” 

But Lena doesn’t respond, her face is stone cold as she stands up to leave, deflecting Kara’s hand when she tries to grab hers. “Maybe she does,” Lena utters before exiting the room, deserting Kara to deal with the drama that is her sister and leaving her kiss-less.

  
_ Maybe I should’ve chosen truth.  _ Kara thinks as she puts her head in her hands and tries to drown out her sister’s barrage of insults towards her new friends, if they even are her friends anymore..


	12. Yikes

“Hey you, why the long face?” a voice says as Lena storms her way through the backstage exit.

“I’m not really in the mood to talk right now,” Lena replies without looking up.

“Oh, come on,” a hand grips Lena’s arm so tightly that it might leave a bruise.

“Tell me, what were you guys doing in there, and why weren’t we invited?”

“Yeah!” says another voice.

“Shut up, Coville.”

 

As she turns, Lena recognizes Samantha Arias and her freshman lacky, Thomas Coville.

They’ve never really talked before now, but everyone knows Sam, or they at least know the gossip that has spread about her.

Lena feels the grip loosen from her bicep and wants to hold the spot in pain but she resists. One of her mother's rules when being threatened is to always appear powerful, confident, unaffected.

“We were just playing a dumb game,” Lena provides.

“Sounded like things were getting pretty heated in there, I heard a lot of yelling.” It wasn’t a question persay, but it coaxed Lena to say more.

“You could say that there were some conflicts of interest, yes. Nothing that concerns you though. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a ride to catch.”

Lena turns to go and Sam doesn’t come after her, but Lena feels her stare burning into the back of her neck, watching her closely. As she turns around the corner Lena gets a chill down her spine.

 

//

 

“Late again Miss Luthor,” says Lena’s driver with a tsk. “We wouldn’t want your mother to get involved again, do we? I know I don’t.” Tom says the last part under his breath.

“I’m really not in the mood today, Tom. Please just take me home or I’ll have you fired for real this time.”

“Never a ‘how was your day?’ with you is it Miss Luthor. Very well.”

They drive in silence a while and Lena is already starting to feel better about what happened today. In fact, she’s totally apathetic about the whole situation. That’s right, another one of Lillian’s tricks for dealing with hard times, but this one is more of a guideline for when supposed allies turn on you. It can be condensed down into, “Fuck ‘em all. Fend for yourself.”

 

So that’s just what Lena has decided to do from here on out. Or, at least that was the plan until she got an unexpected phone call.  

“Who’s calling?” Lena doesn’t usually answer unknown numbers but she’s too tired to care at the moment.

“Lena?” Says a timid voice.

“Yes..”

“It’s Kara.”

Lena remains silent. Talking with Kara means that she'll have to work through whatever went down in that prop closet. Which she could easily just avoid by never speaking about it again.

But deep down maybe she wants to get some things off her chest. I mean they almost kissed for god's sake! Then Alex had to go and screw everything up and expose Lena for what she was, a secret-keeping, sociopath.

Maybe it's time to contradict that label.

“Um, Winn gave me your number. I know that's a little intrusive but I just wanted to clear the air a bit, I know things got a little intense with my sister and all.” Kara sounded genuinely apologetic.

“Kara,” Lena starts before being interrupted.

“She really didn't mean anything she was saying! I mean you saw how out of it she was, she barely even knows what day it is. So you can honestly just ignore it -”

“Kara, it's alright.”

“What? No, I have to make it up to you.”

“I'm serious Kara. I mean it's not half-wrong, what she said about me.” Lena says with a resigned shrug.

“Are you kidding? Yeah, you may be a little chilly at times, but it's not like you've ever tried to harm anyone.”

Lena is quiet at that remark.

“At least not on purpose I hope?”

“I think it's time we got to know either a little better,” Lena suggests. “I'll give Maggie props, the concept of truth or dare wasn't half-bad.”

“Yeah, it was fun for a bit wasn't it? Too bad we never got to finish.”

A thought flashes through Lena's head and she decides to let it out before she loses the nerve.

“You know, we could pick up the game sometime if you like. But maybe don't invite your sister this time.”

Kara goes slightly red at the implications of Lena’s words and feels blessed that this conversation is not in person until she remembers she should probably still speak.

“Oh haha! Yeah, that's right huh? We never got to, um, are you doing anything after rehearsal tomorrow?” Kara stammers out.

“I am now” Lena smiles to herself.

“Oh, ha. With me right?”

“Yes, Kara.”

“Nice, awesome. I, uh, look forward to getting to know you more.”

“Likewise.”

“I'm gonna go now, but I'll see you tomorrow,”

“Goodbye, Kara.”

 

When Lena hangs up the phone she is in such a dreamy state she doesn't even realize they've been parked in the driveway for ten minutes.

Her driver is still in the front seat, waiting. “Well, someone's in a chipper mood now, must be a special someone.”

“Oh, shut it,” Lena says in an attempt at seriousness but she can't help the smile that escapes onto her lips.

 

//

 

Kara’s moment of happiness after that phone call is once again spoiled by her sister, who she overhears violently retching into the toilet in their shared bathroom. She would go in to help, but Maggie seems to be taking care of her pretty well.

When the heaving noises stop for a moment, Maggie ventures into their bedroom.

“I’m on a mission to find some clean pajamas for her to wear, you think you could help me out?”

“Sure, her dresser is over there.” Kara points to the chest of drawers spilling over with clothes. “Good luck finding something clean.”

“I’ll manage,” Maggie makes her way to the dresser and starts rummaging through.

Kara watches her a second. She can see that Maggie cares about her sister, but she can’t imagine why.

_Unless…_

 

“Hey, thanks for the ride home today, and for helping out with Alex.”

Maggie turns, arms cradling a pair of blue P.E. shorts and an old T-shirt.

“No problem, little Danvers. Honestly, I feel a little responsible for causing this mess in the first place,” She says with a guilty expression. “I should’ve been watching her better, she uses alcohol to cope when she’s upset.”

“Oh? What was she so upset about?” Kara asks curiously.

“I think that’s something that she’s gonna have to tell you herself when she’s up for it,” Maggie nods her head in the direction of the bathroom.  “Just know that her actions against you and Lena are more just projection than anything else. Deep down she just wants to keep you safe.”

Kara scoffs, “Right now the only thing I need to be kept safe from is her.”

Maggie sighs, “Trust me, it will all make sense one of these days.”

Kara and Maggie both hear more dry heaving coming from the bathroom. “Now if you’ll excuse me I’m back on hair-holding duty.”

“I sure am glad you’re here for that, I don’t think my own stomach could handle it.”

“Hah. No big deal, my dad’s a cop so I’m used to the guts and gore, this is nothing,” Maggie says with a nonchalant smile.

“Well thanks anyway, and feel free to spend the night on the couch if you don’t want to drive back this late,” Kara offers.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Kara says before letting out a big yawn. “Well,  I ought to hit the hay.“

“For sure, it’s been a long day. I’ll see you at rehearsal tomorrow.”

Kara waves as Maggie switches off the light and shuts the door behind her.

There are so many pieces in this puzzle of a day. What happened between her and Lena? Why did Alex blow up at them? Why is Maggie defending her?

But Kara is honestly so tired that she succumbs to the comfort of her fluffy pillow and soft comforter. She quickly falls into a pleasant dream involving Victorian gowns and soft lips.

 

//

 

“Hey…” says a whisper near Alex’s ear.

“Hey, come on, wake up.” it comes again, slightly louder.

Alex can feel a hand shaking her shoulder but she decides to ignore it and turn her face into a large pillow beside her.

“I’m serious Alex, you’ve already missed first period. You’ve got to go to class at some point today.“

“Noo.” She groans, voice muffled.

“That’s it, drastic measures.”

With a heave, Maggie pulls the tightly wrapped blankets off the couch. Causing Alex to flail and drop onto the floor.

“Uuuugh,” is all Alex can vocalize to express her contempt.

“Here take this.” Maggie bends down to hand Alex a large glass of water and a couple of ibuprofens. “And when you’re done, I’ve got breakfast.”

Alex’s head perks up at the sound of “breakfast,” and she reaches to accept the water and pain pills.

 

After finishing the glass she manages to stand up and head to the bathroom. She goes to brush her hair and notices it’s slightly damp. She doesn’t remember taking a shower last night… Maggie must have helped her. The thought makes her flush with embarrassment.

_Damn, I owe her big time._

 

/

 

Maggie is just scooping the scrambled eggs out of the pan as Alex walks into the room. She’s only slightly more awake, but the lure of food was surprisingly tempting when her stomach feels this empty.

“Goodmorning, Sunshine!” Maggie says a bit too loud for Alex’s headache.

“Is it even morning, still?”

“Hah, barely. I got you some coffee, black.”

“Thanks,” Alex says, taking a seat at the kitchen island and grasping at the warm mug. “Hey is that my shirt?”

“Maybe,” Maggie says playfully as she sets a loaded plate in front of her. “I made do with what I could find in the fridge, hope that’s ok.”

“It’s perfect” Alex, says, mouth already full with her first bite of food.

“So…” Maggie starts as Alex is devouring her food, “I know you just woke up, but I think we need to talk about something.”

Alex stops, mid-chew and looks up, “Hm?”

“I know you might not remember this, but things got a little heated yesterday and you kind of ripped into Kara and her friends,” Maggie says seriously, hands on the counter in front of her.

 _Oh,_ Alex didn't remember, at least not exactly.  But she does recall being very very angry.

“Is Kara here?” Maggie says, looking around, worried.

“No, Winn came to give her a ride.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, and I’m no therapist, but it seems like you’re pushing her away. Or projecting your own anger onto her or something”

Alex doesn’t respond, she just moves around some of the eggs on her near-empty plate.

“I’m serious. I know the gay thing is an issue for you, but you’ll never work it out if you don’t accept your feelings. Accept yourself.”

Alex stops. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Maggie lets out a long sigh. “Whatever, but if you ever come around, I’m here for you.” Maggie grabs her keys off the counter. “I’ve gotta get to class.”

As Maggie exits the kitchen, Alex realizes what a bitch she’s being. She knows it won’t fix much but she lets out a soft “Thank you,” for everything that Maggie has done for her today and yesterday.

Unfortunately, Maggie doesn’t hear it and continues out the front door with a slam.


	13. Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's that? An update? Who knew she had it in her

At rehearsal, Kara sits on the edge of the stage running lines with Maggie. 

When Maggie entered the auditorium earlier that afternoon she immediately came to Kara to apologize again. Kara didn’t want to hear any of it, though. She’s still waiting for Alex to explain herself. 

Kara still can’t fathom how her sister could have been  _ so rude.  _ Alex mentioned some sort of secret that Lena was hiding and Kara has heard whispers about some dark family history? But from what she’s known of Lena she just seems like a shy, beautiful, genius, with a hint of mystery and an enchanting smile and magnetic stare…. ahem. Kara realizes she might have a bit of a bias, but either way, Alex had no grounds to base her accusation on. There has to be something else going on with her...

So, until Alex comes around, Kara’s decided to just get on with her life. She’s got other things to worry about, like her chances with Lena Luthor or the hostility she’s facing from her on-stage (and off stage) nemesis, Samantha Arias.

Maggie was unsure at first, but respected Kara’s decisiveness on the issue. This really was Alex’s apology to make. After that, Maggie picked up a script and offered to help Kara practice lines and Kara agreed appreciatively. 

Meanwhile, Lena was tinkering with the stage lights in the back of the auditorium. There was a small booth set up behind the audience so that the tech people could make lighting adjustments with a convenient view of the stage. Lena’s eyebrows were knitted together as she tried to work with the low-quality equipment that the public high school provided. She fiddled with knobs and pushed well-worn buttons, occasionally chipping paint off the corner of the lighting board when she accidentally brushed her hand across it. It was not the ideal setup but Lena was known to love a challenge and she enjoyed the satisfying results of her efforts. Every few minutes the atmosphere on the stage changed due to the simple dimming of lights or a change of color. It could be somber, it could be violent, it could be romantic, all at the control of her adept fingertips. 

Lena could see from the back of the hall as Kara and Maggie were practicing lines. She wasn’t jealous of Maggie per se. She would love to be in her position of course, but she didn’t sense anything between the two of them. That put her at ease as she continued experimenting with the lights, always making Kara the center of her spotlight, seeing which luminosity worked best to bring out the natural golden shimmer of her hair. She sighed from afar and mused about their plans for that afternoon. 

//

An hour or so into rehearsal, Mr. Jones comes out from backstage and instructs Kara to work on her scenes with Sam. Specifically, the one where Dorothy faces off against the Wicked Witch of the West. The other characters (the scarecrow, lion, and tin man) are sitting out, for now, they don’t have many lines anyway.

On the stage, there’s a few simple props, a broomstick, a bucket of water and a stone wall painted on a slab of plywood as the background.

“Alright! We’re going to practice the dramatic ending scene! Samantha, start at the line where the Wicked Witch is about to attack Dorothy and her companions,” Mr. Jones directs from the foot of the stage.

Sam waltzes over to their makeshift set and picks up the broomstick in her left hand, holding the script booklet in the other. She takes a breath to get herself into character. She widens her stance, bending her knees out with pigeon-toed feed. Her back is now hunched and her head is facing toward the ground. 

Suddenly, Sam snaps up her head up to look Kara in the eyes with a crazy looking grin. The first line escapes from her mouth in a high-pitched cackle.

  
“ _And the last to go will see the first three_ _  
__go before her!  And your mangy little dog, too!”_

 

Kara doesn’t even have to try and get into character at this point, she’s sure the genuinely scared look on her face should suffice. After delivering the first line, the Witch is supposed to catch her broomstick aflame and threaten the very flammable scarecrow. Sam mimics the action and then whips the broom down and up, knocking Kara in the head in the process. Kara is almost positive it was not an accident. The strange thing is it actually _ hurt,  _ and  she’s not used to the pounding feeling in her skull. 

 

“ _ How about a little fire, Scarecrow?” _

 

Sam continues her lines like nothing happened, but Kara can see a smirk on her face. It infuriated Kara to no end and she started to see red and feel heat behind her eyes. At first, Kara thought she was tearing up, but she realized quickly what was happening when she was started to smell smoke. Kara has heat-visioned Sam’s broomstick fire into a reality. 

 

“Hey! I’m burning!” Sam screeches, still in character, as she notices the quickly growing flames trying to shake them out but consequently spreading sparks and ashes across the stage.

Mr. Jones starts to yell, “No -- No -- No -- No! How did that happen, someone put it out!”   
  
Kara senses spring into action at this point  “Ohh! OHH! OHH!,” she yells as she grabs the bucket of water from the stage and throws it onto the fire.

 

Sam stands in a puddle of water after the whole ordeal, no longer in character. “I’m melting,” she grumbles with an expression of disdain aimed directly at Kara. Kara shrugs her shoulders with an expression of half-remorse and half-satisfaction.

 

“Sam, are you okay?” Mr. Jones walks up behind Sam and hands her a towel. Sam pushes her water-logged script into his arms and snatches the towel from his grasp. “I’m fine,” she snarls, “but I suggest you find out what happened before we practice that scene again, I for one suspect foul play.” Sam gives one last piercing look at Kara before storming off stage. 

Mr. Jones looks after her with a worried expression before turning back to Kara. “Do you have any idea how this could have happened?” he asked Kara with a hint of suspicion in his voice. 

“I-I.. don’t,” Kara replies unconvincingly.

“I have a theory,” Lena’s confident voice chimes in as she climbs onto the stage. Lena doesn’t continue her thought until she is standing in between the two of them and looking up at the stage lights above. She holds up her hands for a moment, seeming thoughtful. “Yes, that must be it,” she addresses Mr. Jones, “I was testing the various light settings and this bulb must have had too high of a temperature for the dry broomstick material. The problem can be fixed with a simple heat insulating dampener. I can write up a request and maybe we could add it to the budget?”

“Well then, I guess that's that. Thank you for letting me know, Lena. Good thing this little fiasco happened during a rehearsal and not the actual show… Although it might add some nice dramatic effect… No, no, safety first, Jones. Remember what happened the last time you tried to add in a bit of showbiz magic?” Mr. Jones continued mumbling to himself as he walked off the stage, the issue seemingly resolved. 

Kara and Lena both look at each other and smile at the weirdness of their director.

 

“I didn’t realize stage lights were so dangerous,” Kara starts casually.

“More than you would think, yes, but this kind of scenario would usually only occur if the stage was coated in gasoline or there was something flammable less than a foot from the lens, but there’s at least a 5% probability it could have caused that broom fire.”

“Oh, so why would you tell Mr. Jones that was it for sure?”

Lena looks at Kara curiously, “Because, I’m not sure he would believe my actual hypothesis.”

“Oh..I can explai--”

 

“Heyy, girlfriends!” Winn hoots as he struts across the stage in another prop dress he found backstage.

Lena and Kara are both speechless as he walks over, the previous conversation forgotten. 

“What?” he asks as they stare wordlessly, “The extras and I were playing  _ truth or dare _ round dos. But I heard things we getting pretty heated out here and I had to come to see.”

“Yeah, things were heated all right,” Kara says with a laugh, “but it’s all over now, sorry.”

“Darnit! I always miss the drama.” Winn sighs, “Well then, I’m gonna get back to my game, Vasquez was about to drink toilet water!” 

“Gross,” Kara makes a gagging expression as Winn jaunts back to the prop closet with his silky red dress flowing behind him.

 

“Anyway, what were we talking about?” Kara says to Lena.

“Oh nothing important, but you're done rehearsing for the day right? Why don’t we get out of here.” Lena offers cooly. 

“Oh! Yeah! Sure! Of course! Where do you want to go?”

“My house?”

“Sounds good,” Kara replies. Kara waves goodbye to Maggie as the pair exits the auditorium and Maggie just gives her a little eyebrow raise and a thumbs up. 

 

_ Stay cool, Kara. This is just friends hanging out and getting to know each other. No big deal. Plus, it seems like she already knows your biggest secret anyway… what could go wrong? _


End file.
